Bongani Bingwa speaks to Professor Loren Landau (African Centre for Migration & Society) to unpack immigration challenges and what they mean for South Africa’s future.

Key insights from the conversation:

• Estimating the total population is difficult due to the country’s vastness. The numbers of migrants shared by the Statistician-General may be an estimate, and likely more in fact.

• Migration has shaped South Africa. It is critical to the country.

• Using Gauteng as an example: many migrate to the province from other provinces, which affects the quality of services and opportunities.

• “We have not planned for South Africans migrating internally. Now add external migrants, that adds to existing pressures.”

A nuanced discussion on the real drivers of service delivery strain and why scapegoating migrants misses the point.

Listen to the full conversation: